Like many others, 26-year-old Rebecca has lived in the low cost housing neighbourhood of Mathare all her life. She says she was born here, went to school in different parts of the country, but would always returned during holidays. Her child is the second born, having got her first child two and a half years ago.
The cause of her condition was finally revealed when the doctor asked about her eating habits including what she eats and the cooking oil she uses in her food. She was shocked that she has actually had it for at least two years, stating that she hasn’t felt anything to warrant her going to a hospital.
After leaving the doctor’s tent, she walked to the lawyer’s tent to have conversation about her children. She reported that while she does odd jobs to support her young family, the father of her children refuses to support her despite the fact that he has a reliable income.
During the ten – minutes conversation with one of the lawyers she was informed her of the various options to explore to ensure that he undertakes his obligations. She then left for her home after listening to some music to calm her nerves.
Rebecca is among hundreds of Mathare residents who benefitted from a two – day medical and legal aid clinic. The clinics were held at Shooting Range in Kosovo area and St. Austin Grounds on Juja Road. The initiative by the Kenya Medical Association in collaboration with KELIN was a success, going by the number of people who turned up for advice and assistance. It was not just about medical and legal issues, but also a fun time with good music. Some people forgot their troubles for a few hours as they danced to the music while others were lucky to win goodies from the organizers.
“I have listened to issues on land, child maintenance and how to search for education certificates. These are the diverse issues that residents have come to inquire about,”
says lawyer, Beatrice Wamae, who works with CREAW Kenya but took time to attend the clinic.
She added that the solutions they provide to the residents range from talking to the area Chiefs because they have the power to solve them, to walking to the land registry to establish the registered owners of land while for others, litigation would suffice. Beatrice undertakes these free legal clinics in different parts of the city at least once a month.
She asserts that there is increased legal literacy among those who receive legal aid. Some people know how best to follow up on their issues because we help them identify the duty bearers. Others still need legal assistance because their cases are at litigation stage.
Area legislator Hon. Stephen Kariuki was also present at the event. As an MP, he has held two similar medical clinics in his constituency.
“This one is more effective because it combines medical and legal aid which are two of the most crucial needs for my constituents.”
Some of the services offered at the medical camps included, pregnancy tests, HIV tests, dental checks and advice on medical issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, respiratory diseases and hypertension. Victor Matata, the founder of Nufrontr Medevent that held the medical camp said these social campaigns for medical education are critical to these residents who take their medical conditions for granted.
One Red Drop Test, an organization that encourages physical activity and provided diabetes medication, has held several of these camps in various, primarily low cost housing neighbourhoods in Nairobi. They have partnered with churches, NGOs and private organizations since 2013 to undertake these clinics. Sometimes they organize the camps following requests from different communities. When they participate, they bring along doctors, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and lab technicians.
“These full health screenings have been very revealing to the residents. A person diagnosed with hypertension realizes they have the disease they thought only afflicts the wealthy. When you speak with him or her, you learn about the foods they eat and the cooking oil they use. Most of the cooking oil is unhygienic and has components which lead to bad kinds of cholesterol”,
he said.
“In addition, some of the residents have very minimal physical activities. There is also high substance abuse and high levels of stress that are causative agents of these lifestyle diseases.”
Victor explains that their main goal is to spearhead diagnosis. Once they diagnose a person, they refer them to various hospitals. In Mathare for instance, they have an agreement with Mathare County Hospital that is tasked with the follow-up. He however says that some patients do not take their advice, something they have no control over.
“Someone comes to you, they have had the disease for 7-10 years yet they do not know because they can’t see any physical symptoms. But we pride ourselves in the work we do that finally they get to know their health condition and can take the next responsible step,” he adds.
Poor dental hygiene among the residents was a prevalent issue. The dental queues were long, especially with school going children. Many of them have bad oral hygiene, leading to infectious gums and cavities at a tender age. The tent also received cases of adults who lack consistency in brushing their teeth and have bleeding gums. Unilever’s Pepsodent, Family Health brand, which held the dental clinic provided everyone with toothpaste and also taught participants how to improve their dental hygiene.
Unilever also provided a water purifier where residents who attended the clinic could use the clean water to take the medicines they have been given. Charity Kamau from Unilever said that they have partnered with KMA in this initiative. She added that some residents see the value in the water purifier and want to buy them.
Moses Bwana, a Mathare 4B Village Elder was emphatic that programs like this are very useful for the community. He echoed the sentiments by their MP that combining medical and legal clinic is very effective in giving the community assistance they lack due to poverty.
The Mathare location Chief, Kennedy Otwere was grateful to KELIN and KMA for organizing the clinic in his area. He highlighted his concern for maternal health stating,
“Women should desist from going to untrained birth attendants to bear their children. Maternal health is free in all public hospitals and it is important for them to utilize this.”
Key lessons learnt by KELIN during this two-day outreach were that there is dire need to organize such forums on a more regular basis within the peri-urban settlement settings in Nairobi. When combined with medical aid, legal aid clinics form an extremely important platform for participants to seek legal redress for their issues, particularly those who are unaware of the provisions of the law. With the recent enactment of the Legal Aid Act, we therefore call upon the government to engage in targeted and sustained civic and legal education for the citizens of Kenya in both the urban and rural settlements to ensure access to justice for those who need it most.
KELIN is ready and happy to collaborate with more medical organizations and Members of Parliament of the various areas to offer legal aid during upcoming forums.
